How do I receive faxes?
To receive faxes you need your own fax number, which comes with any subscription. Faxes sent to it arrive in your inbox and you are notified by email — and by push notification if you use the mobile app.
Getting your own fax number
Receiving requires a subscription, which includes a dedicated fax number that is yours. You choose the country and area code when you sign up for a plan. United States and Canada numbers are set up in under a minute. New Zealand and United Kingdom numbers are also available on every plan, and work differently: local regulations there require identity and address verification (a government ID and a proof of address in that country), so instead of handing you a number the search takes you to verification, and your number is assigned and activated about 3 business days after you upload the documents. Sending works the moment you subscribe, so only the incoming number waits, and if the verification is finally declined you get a full refund. Give your number to anyone who needs to fax you.
Your plan includes one number. If you need a second, you can add it to the same subscription: see more than one fax number.
Your number is confirmed working before you use it
A new United States or Canada number shows "Setting up" for a moment while we confirm it can actually receive faxes, and you get an email as soon as it is verified and live. It usually takes under a minute. You can upload and arrange your document the whole time; only the Send button waits, because the return number printed on your fax is the one being confirmed. If it is taking longer than expected we offer you a different number right away — free, and it does not use up your once-every-30-days change. If a number does not pass, we replace it for you and tell you once, when the new one is verified and live; there is nothing for you to do.
Where received faxes go
A fax sent to your number arrives in your FaxTerra inbox, and you are notified by email — and by push notification if you use the mobile app — so you do not have to keep checking. You can open and download each received fax as a document.
Received pages use your monthly allowance
Pages you receive count against the same monthly page allowance you send with — one pool covers both directions. Purchased credits are for sending only, so receiving is always covered by your plan's monthly pages. If more pages arrive in a month than your allowance covers, the extra faxes still arrive and are listed in your inbox, but they cannot be opened until your allowance refills next month or you move to a larger plan.
Why a reply needs your own number
When you send on the free tier, your fax goes out from a shared FaxTerra number, so a reply to that number cannot be routed back to you. If you expect someone to fax you back — a government office, a doctor, a bank — you need your own number, which means a subscription. See what the plans include.
A couple of limits worth knowing
If you already have a fax number, you can bring it with you: transferring an existing number in is free with any paid plan. Received faxes are kept in your inbox for a while and then removed (see what happens to your documents).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I receive a fax for free?
Receiving requires a subscription, because it needs a dedicated fax number of your own. The free tier is for sending; free faxes go out from a shared number, so replies to it cannot reach you.
How do I know when a fax arrives?
A fax sent to your number lands in your FaxTerra inbox and you are notified by email. If you use the mobile app you also get a push notification. Those are the only two ways we tell you: FaxTerra never sends text messages, so a text claiming to be a fax notification from us did not come from us.
Can I choose my fax number?
In United States and Canada, yes. You pick the country and an area code, then choose the number you want from the ones available there; if the exact area code has nothing free we show you numbers nearby instead. The one you pick is yours for as long as you subscribe. In New Zealand and United Kingdom the number is assigned rather than chosen. Local regulations there do not allow a number to be issued before we have verified who you are, and we cannot hold a particular number for the few days that takes. The search shows you what is available, and your number is assigned from that inventory as soon as your verification is approved. You can still ask for a city by entering its area code.
Can I get a fax number in another country?
Receiving numbers are available in United States, Canada, New Zealand, and United Kingdom. Those are the countries we offer a number in today. A number in any of them receives faxes sent from anywhere in the world, so someone abroad can fax you on it with nothing special at their end. If you need a number in a country that is not on that list, tell us which one: what people ask for is how the list grows.
Can I get a toll-free fax number?
Not today. Toll-free numbers, the 800-style ones, are not offered as receiving numbers. A local number receives exactly the same way, and if you already publish a fax number you can bring it with you instead of handing out a new one.
Can I move my existing fax number to FaxTerra?
Yes, for US and Canada local numbers, and it is free with any paid plan. You can find out whether your number can move before you pay: the portability check is open to any signed-in account, creates no order, and answers in seconds. Your existing fax service keeps working until the transfer completes, and a number you brought in stays yours if you ever leave. See bringing your number with you for what to have ready, how long it takes, and how to move a number back out.
Do received faxes use my pages?
Yes. Received pages draw from the same monthly allowance as sending — one pool covers both. Credits are for sending only, so receiving is covered by your plan's monthly pages.
Can I have a second fax number?
Yes. Every paid plan includes one number, and you can add more to the same subscription for $3.99 a month each ($39.90 a year on annual billing). All of your numbers receive into the same inbox and share one page allowance. See more than one fax number.
I got an email saying my fax number needs to be replaced. Is it real?
Yes. FaxTerra automatically tests every new US or Canadian number by sending it a real fax from an outside line. If those test faxes do not arrive, we email you to replace the number, because faxes sent to it may not reach you. Replacing it is free and immediate from your fax numbers page (the usual change limit is waived for a number in this state), and your plan, inbox, and history are unchanged. If you already gave the old number to anyone, send them your new number once you have picked it.